Submarine signaling apparatus.



C. BERGER.

SUBMARINE SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4, 1912. 1,1 17,766.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

egizia;

Imm' uw QkvwAuw /vu Inventor,

. following f had therein to the accompanying drawing.

, tion, and still other advantages Uni-mn sTaTns PATENT oTTTcT-ii-- i CHRISTIAN PERG-E, OF YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNO-R TO SUBMARINE WIRELESS Y COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF,NEW YORK.

T0 allya/hom t may concer/n: f

Be it known that I, CHRISTIANBERGER, a subject of the King of Hungary, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Submarine Signaling Apparatus, of which the is a specification, reference being My invention relates to submarine signaling apparatus, and more particularly to a receiving apparatus to enable the detection, and transmission to. an instrument or observer, of sound vibrations existing in the surrounding open Water;

A theoretically ideal receiving apparatus is one wherein the sensitive device or microphone -is located directly in the open water outside of the ship or station where the signals are received, but from a practical standpoint that arrangement is recognized to be generally impractical on account of the necessity of relative motion between the ship and the water, andtherefore between the sensitive instrument and the water, which interferes with the operation of the instrument. Arrangements have been devised for locating thesensitive device or microphone in the interior of the ship. All such apparatuses, however, heretofore known have proved unsatisfactory for numerous reasons.

It is an object of the present invention to enable thesensitive device or microphone to be-interiorly located in an eHective and satisfactory manner, overcoming the objections in prior apparatuses, andby a construction and arrangement which is not onl simple, but is durable and is easily accessib e for refpair, adjustment and the like. O

The several other general and detail objects of the present invention will appear during the hereinafter following descripwill. be obvious to those acquainted with the art of submarine signaling.

To the attainment of the several objects and advantages referred to, the present in vention. consists in the novel features of construction, combination, arrangement, de-j sign andjv detail hereinafter described and illustrated L g The `generaltoperation of the present 1nvention is 'that the shell -of -the lfloating vessel has within it and located opposite a portion of..the, shella vibratable-` diaphragm,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. il-l, 191A.

{Aizlplication led ANovember 4, 1912. Serial N o. 729,535.

which is so arranged by means of connecting walls as to inclose between the shell and the diaphragm a chamber which is filled with a suitable sound transmitting material, there being a sensitive microphone located alsoy inside the shell, but outside of the chamber, and operatively connected with the diaphragm, so that any signal vibrations passing through the shell and the maf terial within the 4chamber will act upon the interior diaphragm so that the latter causes the operation of the microphone which affects the current in an electric circuit or in other usual' manner makes its variations known to the operator who is receiving the signal. According to another branch of this invention and irrespective of the location o-f the microphone, it is proposed to employ as a sound transmitting material within an interior chamber ajelly-like material or co1- loid having sufficiently small internal friction to afford high sound transmitting qualities.

I will first describe one' or more forms in which thepresent invention may be 'embodied, and will thereafter point out the novel features in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, Figure 1 represents substantially in vertical central cross-section one form of signal receiving apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified form of apparatus.

The same reference characters 'designate corresponding-parts lin. the two figures of the drawings. y

An exterior plate or shell A may be the vertical or side wall of a ships hulL 0n the left side of this exterior shell A is Ashown open water, while the apparatus to be described is located on the other 'or' interior side. I lprefer that` the shell be nn'perforated as shown, and one of lthe advantages of the present invention isthagt'ino perforation is necessitated. Anfinteiior" wall or cylinder Buis show-'ny located` adjacent the` shell A Vserving as a means of formi-nga;

chamberv inclosed betweenthe shel l"'sstnd.frl

suitably located diaphragmif-jWithiii'Tthe chamber may beplaceda body' Eof any vibration-transmitting lincompressible but soft' material, and in making this statement 'I use the associated words lvsoft and incompressible as feXcludi-n ordinary solids and gases" respectively.

n otlnirV words, 4,any nom-fm@ gaseous medium which is indentible or which is capable of being madeto take the form of the containing chamber, is included, so long as it has sound conducting properties. Specifically liquids are ineluded, such as water, wherein the particles move freely'among themselves or flow; so also semi-liquids such as the viscous liquids, thick and slow of diffusion. I prefer, hcwever, a different character of material, in which contrary to liquids and semi-liquids no diti'usionwor flowing takes place. I refer to what may be termed colloids,-jellylike materials,-such as gelatin or albumen, and which are rather semi-solids than semiliquids. These two kinds of plastic materials are importantly rdiiterent in their characteristics and in their functions performed in an apparatus of the kind herein referred to. Indeed, one`of the principal features of this improvement is the einployment of a colloid or jelly-like material `within the chamber. Actual experi- -ment has shown that-.proper jelly-like materials possess radical differences in action as compared with liquids and a far better efficiency, which is comparable with the best efficiency of sound transmission-in solids. The colloid is, indeed, a semi-solid as distinguished from a liquidA` yetpossesses adegree of plasticity enabling it tobe filled into or formed within the chamber and with vintimate molecular contact with the ships shell and other surrounding surfaces. It is intended, however, to exclude those jellies or colloids which will not serve the purpose because not possessing the necessary high sound-transmitting qualities. Gelatin jelly is a typical example of a serviceable colloid. Ordinary elastic rubber would tend to insu late rather than transmit, and would be eX- cluded. I attribute the difference to a ques tion of internal friction. Ordinary caoutchouc appears to have high internal friction and, in one sense, comes between a gelatin jelly and a solid, but is a less eicient transmitter than either. Besides gelatin jelly there are other known colloids having apparentlv sufficiently low internal friction to serve the purposes of this invention.

Thus at C in the drawings is intended to be indicated a body of sound-transmitting soft but incompressible material, in the form of a colloid mass of lov7 internal friction.

As to the details ofthe fittings of the wall or cylinder B, they will be within the ability of a skilled mechanic to vary indefinitely to suit circumstances. wall B is shown as a iianged cylinder, one iange of which is connected directly against the exterior shell A by means of bolts B. A screw plug or inlet D may be provided at the upper side for admitting the material C, While at the under side of the chamber an outlet E may be similarly arranged.

For convenience the` not within but outside of the chamber, pref-V erably adjacent to the vibratable diaphragm F, thus easily accessible for the purposes before referred to, and also protected from corrosion and other injurious effects of immersion. By filling the chamber with a proper kind of jelly, we then have a body of vibration-transmitting colloidal material so maintained as to receive vibrations from the plate or shell and transmit the same for the actuation of the sensitive device. It will be understood that the vibrations are of small amplitude, and, indeed, of a character largely or wholly molecular as distinguished from molar, so that there is practically no bodily movement of the shell, jelly or diaphragm, but rather a wave of molecular disturbance which passes to and affects the microphone.

As a very7 advantageous feature, in con nection with a vibratable diaphragm employed in such a combination, I have shown the diaphragm constructed in its central portion as of the necessary thinness to readily take vibrations, while at its periphery the material or metal is of comparatively great thickness or Weight. Thus the integral heavy ring G and the comparatively lthin central portion of the diaphragm constitute a superior device having the qualities `of strength, efficiency and ease of attachment. Preferably the diaphragm of this construction will be made from a solid disk of metal turned down at its interior or gentral part at one or both sides, preferably at one side as shown.

While it is not in all cases necessary, I have shown in Fig. 1 ameans of suppprtmg a microphone at its rear While actuated frfjm the diaphragm F at its front, namely the bridge H extending from one side to the other and secured for convenience by the same bolts I which secure the diaphragm G to the flanges of the wall or casing B. flhe sensitive device J, while it may take varlous forms, is preferably a microphone, for example of the type designated as the solidback microphone, in the use of which the rear portion is secured to the bridge H or corresponding part, while the front of the ing proper relation between it and the micro-4 animee phone. With this arrangement the rear of the microphone is stationarily held by the bridgewhile the forward end is oscillated through the diaphragm, thus as usual changing the resistance in an electric circuit which extends to an observer or proper instrument for taking note of the vibratory impulses.

In the modification of F ig. 2 the arrangement of the microphone is somewhat varied, it here having a rear stud L which is shown slidingly engaged in a cylinder or cup M having a cap N for opening and closing it, and containing a supply of vaseline O. This arrangement while holding the back of the microphone substantially solid for the purpose of rendering it operable by the diaphragms vibration, permits a bodily movement of the microphone or a yielding thereof when necessary to4 take up shocks or avoid breakage of the parts.

The vibratable diaphragm F already referred to may be employed for submarine signaling under other conditions than those recited. Its comparatively thin metallic membrane may approximately be from onehalf to one millimeter in thiclmess, and the comparatively thick integral rim or periphery surrounding the thin area may be many times thicker and of a convenient thickness to enable the bolting or other attachment of the diaphragm in place. Thus an effective non-leakable fitting is easily afforded and one wherein the thinner metallic portions are subject to a minimum strain or liability to breakage. The construction described is therefore well adapted to be contacted by a liquid or a colloid at one side only, and to coperate with a sensitive device or microphone at the other side of the diaphragm.

In their shown proportions the parts in the drawings are merely illustrative of the principles involved, and the dimensions will be adopted in actual practice to suit the conditions. For example, the diameter of the casing B or the chamber inclosed by it will be relatively much larger than as shown as compared with the size of the diaphragm and microphone; and the chamber walls might be more of a cone-like than cylindrical form so as to encompass a much greater area of the plate A as compared with thesmaller area of the diaphragm. i It `vill be seen that the above describe embodiments accomplish the objects and advantages hereinbefore referred to.

Since many specific features of combination, arrangement and detail may be indefinitely varied I do not wish to be restricted thereto excepting to the extent specified in -the appended claims.

bratable interior diaphragm, the two arranged to mutually inclose a chamber, a vibration-transmitting material within such chamber, an interior microphone located outside said chamber, and having a rear plunger or shank, a cylinder in which said plunger A slides, and material within said cylinder for imposing yielding resistance to such sliding.

2. For submarine signaling the combination of the exterior plate or shell of a hollow immersed vessel, a vibratable interior diaphragm opposed to said plate, the two arranged to mutually inclose a chamber, a jelly-like material filling said chamber, and a microphone located within said vessel but without said chamber and operatively con nected for operation from said diaphragm.

3. For submarine signaling the combination of the exterior plate of a lhollow immersed vessel, a vibratable interior diaphragm opposed to said plate, the two arranged to mutually inclose a chamber, a jelly-like material of suiiciently low internal friction to afford high sound transmitting qualities in said chamber, and a microphone located within said vessel but without said chamber and operatively connected for operation from said diaphragm.

el. A submarine signal receiving apparatus including in combination a plate in eX- terior contact with the water, an interior microphone, and a body of jelly-like material of high sound transmitting qualities so maintained as to receive vibrations from said plate and transmit the same 4for the actuation of said microphone.

5. A submarine signal receiving appara- -`tus including in combination a plate in exterior contact with the water, an interior' microphone, inclosing walls forming a chamber directly against the interior side of said plate, and a body of jelly-like material of high sound transmitting qualities so maintained in said chamber as to receive vibrations from said plate and transmit the same for the actuation of said microphone. In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHRISTIAN BERGER. Witnesses:

JOHN H. DANIELS, JOHN M. RUSSELL. 

